When Hackers Fight
by KESwriter
Summary: Barbara Gordon and Penelope Garcia are the smartest tech analysts in their universes. They have found a pocket in cyber space where they can communicate. A very stress-out Garcia becomes upset over some news from Barbara.


When Hackers Fight

Sometimes members of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit wonder how technical analyst Penelope Garcia is able to track down information so quickly. How she is able to hack into networks without being noticed and find the key piece of data that leads the team to finding the unsub just in time to save someone.

The same can be said of Barbara Gordon. Confined to a wheelchair, she is one of Batman's most trusted allies. She is a master strategist and is able to get her best associates to the right locations. Even with all her informational prowess, her friends and fellow heroes still wonder what other resources she might have that she refuses to talk about.

The answer crosses the barriers of reality. These are two women who live and breathe computer code. Sometimes they go digging into the deepest depths of the cyber information universe. And somewhere along the way they found each other.

…

At first, they were just two cyber hackers working late at night in their own timelines. They were both looking for random pieces of information that might help with their own "side jobs" that had little to do with their regular responsibilities. They became aware they both had pieces of the same puzzle and decided to share and were able to find the answer. As a result, they decided to keep in touch by communicating in this pocket of cyber space to discuss data puzzles that no one else seemed to understand.

Over time they became comfortable enough to share more information about their identities to one another. "Baby Girl Hacker" and "Oracle" began to trust each other enough to share information relating to problems that involved less "net speak" and more physical world terms. It didn't take long for two genius hackers to come to the same conclusion: They were both from alternate realities.

Garcia was the one who figured it out first. In her version, "Oracle" was the code name for Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl and now information coordinator for a team of mostly female vigilantes known as the Birds of Prey. In her reality, this was a comic book series. Garcia was over the moon once Barbara confirmed that her suspicions were correct. But Garcia was also smart enough to keep this to herself. Who would honestly believe she could communicate to a comic book character?

It took Barbara a little longer to figure out where Garcia was from. Barbara didn't watch as much TV and it wasn't until Dinah, The Black Canary "borrowed" one of her screens to watch a show featuring a woman wearing cutesy colorful jewelry surrounded by computer screens. It was an FBI drama about a team of profilers who tracked criminals with the help of a tech analyst based in Quantico. Barbara cursed herself for not figuring it out sooner. She decided to keep this information to herself also. She hated the idea of people learning that she sometimes sought help from a government of any universe.

Neither tried to think much about the fact that lived and worked in universes where they were considered fictional characters. They both reasoned that the world of computer codes and cyber navigation wasn't confined to one single dimension. The fact was that they were smartest tech analysts in their worlds and when they worked together, they helped people.

…

Garcia was too tired to move, yet her mind was restless. It had only been several days since she saw Reid's bruised body and she still could not get over feeling so helpless. Alvez promised to do something and as much as she believed him, she still felt like more could be done. The whole situation made her feel sick.

In the end, she decided to log into her special cyber pocket to see if Oracle had anything for her to work on. She hadn't logged on since Reid was arrested. Barbara happened to be logged on also but didn't open a chat window. She merely passed her a piece a puzzle to work on.

Not being a patient person these days, Garcia decided to open a chat window to see how her "world" viewed Reid's incarceration.

BabyGirlHacker(BGH): So did you see what happened to Reid?

Oracle(O): Yes.

BGH: Can you see more of the case through his eyes? His memory is playing tricks on him.

O: We've tested this theory before. The way the show is played out, I can't give you any hints.

BGH: Not even his recent beating?

Barbara didn't respond immediately.

BGH: Barbara?

O: I'm sorry Garcia. My team and I have sworn off watching the show this season.

She was stunned and angry.

BGH: What!? I thought you loved my show! But this isn't my show, it's my life! How could you decided to tune out my life? Given our friendship.

O: My dad was stabbed while I was infected with the Brainiac virus, meaning I had no control over my body at all. The last thing I needed to see was Reid go through prison life. We'll start watching again next season.

Garcia typed away furiously.

BGH: What about my life? I thought you cared. Reid is in jail getting beaten. Scratch is still on the loose and everyone is stressed to the max.

O: Garcia I care about you, but you are only a small part of my reality. I needed to stop watching. It wasn't about stopping the bad guys anymore, it was about seeing Reid get hurt every episode. I needed to stop for my own sanity.

She found herself tearing up.

BGH: Well, your dad is a terrible cop on that TV show. He looks pathetic and incompetent the way he can't stop any of the crimes from happening in Gotham and Bruce is worse off for knowing him!

Barbara didn't respond immediately.

O: 1. I think you're saying all of this from a place of anger about Reid's situation and not me. 2. From what you've said about the show, it shouldn't surprise me but it does hurt a little. 3. Do you want to keep working on the puzzle or not?

BGH: It's not fair you can turn off my life whenever you feel like it! I thought we could lean on each other for support. I thought you were my friend!

O: I still am.

BGH: Not when you refuse to be involved in my life!

O: I'm done talking. You clearly don't want to work. Oracle out.

BGH: Screw you!

Garcia logged out. She was breathing heavily. Barbara wasn't watching anymore. Her life was too complicated. It felt like every meaningful person in her life was abandoning her, including fictional ones.

…

Barbara poured herself a cup of coffee shakily. She spilled on herself and swore.

Dinah Lance appeared.

"Someone didn't have a good night of sleep," she said pouring herself a cup. "Despite being told to stay away from work for a full seventy-two hours."

"How could a little coding hurt?" Barbara said angrily as she took a shaky sip.

"Is there anything else going on?" Dinah asked. "Tell Dr. Lance everything."

Barbara rolled her eyes and then sighed. "You know that show we swore off watching because it got too depressing?"

"Yeah," she said. "The poor guy got beaten up in jail and Garcia was devastated in the last episode but Alvez helping by blackmailing the guy in charge of Reid's safety."

Barbara put her mug down. "I thought we ALL agreed to stop watching."

Dinah shrugged. "We did it for you. You just looked so sad watching it and given everything else, we decided you shouldn't be watching that stuff."

"I thought it was a unanimous decision."

"Babs, we keep secrets from you sometimes and this one seemed kind of small."

"Okay, so why are you still watching?" she asked.

"I don't know, loyalty. I feel like with this show and this character, to stop watching would mean abandoning him too."

"I didn't know you cared so much."

Dinah looked out window. "When the world has turned so ugly it is nice to another world where stuff is bad but you know it won't get too bad. Like Reid is in jail but he won't get raped because Criminal Minds isn't that kind of show where things get out of hand."

Barbara picked up her mug and took a more steady sip.

"What now?"

"Do you want to start watching again?"

"I guess I don't want to feel left out anymore," she said.

…

Garcia was devastated by the fact Reid's friend died. Prentiss suggesting sleeping but that sounded like a sick joke to Garcia. Her mind turned to the special pocket of the universe. She didn't want to talk, she just wanted to only deal with code.

But Barbara was waiting. Garcia could have ignored her but part of her was still curious.

O: I'm sorry! I saw the latest episode. That is terrible what happened to Luis. How is Reid?

BGH: What made you decide to care again?

O: I never should have stopped. You're still heroes at the end of the day. And you are my friend.

Garcia didn't know what to say at first.

BGH: Reid's life has been very sad lately, I can see wanting to ignore. I just can't.

O: You shouldn't have to do alone. I'll be with you from now on.

BGH: Thanks Babs, and your father will always be hero in this world in some ways and Gotham is only one show.

O: Thanks, Garcia. Are you ready to pass data?

Garcia smiled for the first time in what felt like months.

BGH: Definitely.


End file.
